Bombs went off at the finish line of The Boston Marathon today. As of this writing there were 2 dead and over 90 injured, ranging from burns to lost limbs. And it’s still too early to know who or why or even what the fuck happened. The who and what and even why elude us, but that knowledge isn’t going to save us from this knowledge: people are capable of horrible things. Whether it’s Boston, Newton, Aurora, or Columbine. The World Trade Center or Oklahoma City. No amount of vigilance or justice can save us from knowing that there is evil in the world.

Fuck that. I refuse to allow myself to be further dragged into cynicism. On days like today you see what horrible things people are capable of. But it's important to remember that for every one person that sets off a bomb there are hundreds of people who show up to save the day. The world has villains. But it's got a lot more heroes. First responders, police, firemen, paramedics, blood donors, people offering shelter, people going back for loved ones, assisting strangers, the men who threw themselves in front of the bullets to save their girlfriends in Aurora, the teachers in Newton who shielded the children. People kick ass. Most of them, at least.

These incidents are tragic and awful. People can be horrible. But instead of just seeing these as reminders of what people are capable of doing to each other, also look for and be reminded of what people are capable of doing for each other.

It’s like Mr. Fred Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”